You won't be disappointed with the CX-9 if/when you decide to get one. We've had ours for 2 years now and it's been great. We've taken it on several camping trips w/out a roofrack, with two kids, and all our camping gear and you would be surprised at just how much crap this thing can hold.
Cross-shopping the CX-9 - looking for opinions!
- Thread starter Siper2
- Start date
Bump! 
We got pretty busy for a while, but my wife is getting a stronger urge to buy. Our 2001 Outback H-6 is doing well, but needs some work and we're feeing like it might be time.
Two days ago, we test drove again. This time we took out a new Ford Explorer XLT, CX-9 GT, and the Subie Outback 3..6R Limited again.
Ford: A very nice vehicle, with lots of gadgets. Sync seems very cool, and that cabin is very clever. Nice aesthetics, however it looks, and feels, very big and bulky. Also.....expensive! I think the dealer was marking up, as the salesman quoted $41K for an XLT and $48K for a Limited. Ummm.... (boom06). Stupid transmission shift toggle BUTTONS on the shifter handle.
Outback: Familiar and great, though we had to drive a used '10, since there were no '11 3.6Rs on the lot, and the '12s aren't out yet. Nice shifter paddles behind the wheel.
Mazda: I personally really liked it, when I got inside again. Nice layout, roomy but compact and not bulky outside like the Ford. Handling was still great, nice cornering, and no shifter paddles, but it does have the rock forward/rear handle for manual changes.
The MDX is out now, we don't want to spend that much. Plus, the CX-9 has the sliding/tilting second row. An Acura salesman told me that the MDX doesn't have that, because they did internal crash tests, and that made it worse. Poor excuse for packaging? Legitimate concern? Who knows...
Mazda dealer is offering invoice plus 0% financing on '11 models, in September (so, now). Stated invoice on a GT was about $35K before tax/title. Does that sound right? We may consider a Touring with more options, too....don't really need the pricey nav, plus the 20"s look good, but are expensive and do make the ride worse on bumps......even though my lead-footed wife says she didn't notice. So, that's an option to save a few bucks....
Probably going with white - it's what we buy.
A BIG QUESTION: any changes for 2012? Dealer said no, but I'm suspicious.
We got pretty busy for a while, but my wife is getting a stronger urge to buy. Our 2001 Outback H-6 is doing well, but needs some work and we're feeing like it might be time.
Two days ago, we test drove again. This time we took out a new Ford Explorer XLT, CX-9 GT, and the Subie Outback 3..6R Limited again.
Ford: A very nice vehicle, with lots of gadgets. Sync seems very cool, and that cabin is very clever. Nice aesthetics, however it looks, and feels, very big and bulky. Also.....expensive! I think the dealer was marking up, as the salesman quoted $41K for an XLT and $48K for a Limited. Ummm.... (boom06). Stupid transmission shift toggle BUTTONS on the shifter handle.
Outback: Familiar and great, though we had to drive a used '10, since there were no '11 3.6Rs on the lot, and the '12s aren't out yet. Nice shifter paddles behind the wheel.
Mazda: I personally really liked it, when I got inside again. Nice layout, roomy but compact and not bulky outside like the Ford. Handling was still great, nice cornering, and no shifter paddles, but it does have the rock forward/rear handle for manual changes.
The MDX is out now, we don't want to spend that much. Plus, the CX-9 has the sliding/tilting second row. An Acura salesman told me that the MDX doesn't have that, because they did internal crash tests, and that made it worse. Poor excuse for packaging? Legitimate concern? Who knows...
Mazda dealer is offering invoice plus 0% financing on '11 models, in September (so, now). Stated invoice on a GT was about $35K before tax/title. Does that sound right? We may consider a Touring with more options, too....don't really need the pricey nav, plus the 20"s look good, but are expensive and do make the ride worse on bumps......even though my lead-footed wife says she didn't notice.
So, that's an option to save a few bucks....Probably going with white - it's what we buy.
A BIG QUESTION: any changes for 2012? Dealer said no, but I'm suspicious.
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Platinum GT
Member
- :
- 2007 CX-9 GT AWD, All Options
I think the Acura salesman was blowing smoke. They most definitely do have a sliding 2nd row. This excerpt is taken directly from Acura's website, "In a single movement, the passenger-side 2nd-row seat will tilt and slide forward for easy access to the 3rd-row seats. "
They hire anybody to sell cars it seems.
Either way, buy the cx9, you won't be disappointed!
They hire anybody to sell cars it seems.Either way, buy the cx9, you won't be disappointed!
Platinum GT
Member
- :
- 2007 CX-9 GT AWD, All Options
Ah, I misunderstood what you originally meant. No, it appears the MDX seats won't recline or slide for adjustment.
Yeah, sorry I should have been more specific.
The Explorer was nice, in that the rear seats had easier tilt/slide adjustment, and the passenger seat was 8-way, I think. But overall, we still prefer the Mazda.
I definitely want to know what will be new on the 2012s, if anything. Might be worth waiting...
The Explorer was nice, in that the rear seats had easier tilt/slide adjustment, and the passenger seat was 8-way, I think. But overall, we still prefer the Mazda.
I definitely want to know what will be new on the 2012s, if anything. Might be worth waiting...
I have heard that if there are any changes for 12' it will be something as little as stripe tape or something that insignificant. I have also looked at the new Exploders, and they are all EXTREMELY plasticky on the inside, except for the top model (limited?) which seems to have an interior similar in quality to the CX-9 GT. But you are talking 45-50 for a fully loaded limited Exploder... ain't no way.
We may consider a Touring with more options, too....don't really need the pricey nav, plus the 20"s look good, but are expensive and do make the ride worse on bumps......even though my lead-footed wife says she didn't notice.
Probably going with white - it's what we buy.
New to the forums... and Mazda.
We just completed our purchase of a 2011 CX-9 Touring AWD, and my wife insisted on the Crystal Pearl White Mica as well
We tried the Ford Edge (what my wife thought she would prefer), Ford Flex, Subaru Outback (what i thought I'd prefer). After we tried the CX-9, the search was over. We had originally drove the GT, but went down to the Touring. Only thing I miss really is auto lights.
We ended up paying $32,534 for a Touring AWD with the Bose/Moonroof package and the Keyless Entry/Power Liftgate package.
That was a tad less than we could get the Subaru Outback 3.2 Limited for, and the CX-9 just felt like more car for the money. And more luxurious too. The zero percent financing sealed the deal.
Yeah we may end up in a Touring, the more I look at the options. Unsure about navi right now. We may skip the moonroof too... we both have one in our Subies (my '05 Legacy GT and her '01 Outback H-6), but she rarely uses hers. So, that would save some money if she opts to skip. I like the 18"s better for tire price and ride quality, as well, but I'd miss the xenon lights which appear to be GT-only.
So, I'm not sure yet, which way we'll go. Maybe a GT with fewer options, we'll see. If we do skip the moonroof, I can easily upgrade the speakers myself.
I like the Edge a lot, in appearance, but its cargo capacity is much, much less than the CX-9's.
Congrats on your car! Post pics!
So, I'm not sure yet, which way we'll go. Maybe a GT with fewer options, we'll see. If we do skip the moonroof, I can easily upgrade the speakers myself.
I like the Edge a lot, in appearance, but its cargo capacity is much, much less than the CX-9's.
Congrats on your car! Post pics!
The nice thing is, with Bluetooth Audio, you can buy Navigon or a similar app for your smartphone if you have one. It will give you turn by turn over the stereo. And you dont have to stop the vehicle to use it. Handy when on a family trip.
Yeah, that's one thing I told my wife - we both have higher-end Android phones, so buying an in-dash navi unit just might be redundant, and I'm not sure if it's really worth the asking price. Nice to have it in front of you like that, but... I'm not sure if it's worth an extra $1,800 or whatever it is.
When we go on trips, ultimately we end up using Android for quick on-the-go directions to a gas station with the cheapest gas from the gas buddy Android App, among other things. Pretty much the actual navigation never gets used in our CX-9. The maps are way out of date, and I'm not payin' 200 big ones for a new disc that is guaranteed to be at least a couple years out of date anyhow. (there are folks on here willing to provide a backup to you of their newer nav disc, for a small nominal fee to cover the cost of shipping and the DL DVD, for you to hold on to for them just in case their car burns down, but never to actually use, of course.... wink wink... ), I just like having the touch screen for audio controls, etc, and having a cool screen that slides down to expose the super secret disc slot.
Yeah, the update thing is a good point. Most navs, I think, can't sync with a phone to download updates, or use WiFi to do the same. That'd be nice, though... since people pay so much for the small screen that's then outdated in a few months (if that).
New to the forums... and Mazda.
We just completed our purchase of a 2011 CX-9 Touring AWD, and my wife insisted on the Crystal Pearl White Mica as well
We tried the Ford Edge (what my wife thought she would prefer), Ford Flex, Subaru Outback (what i thought I'd prefer). After we tried the CX-9, the search was over. We had originally drove the GT, but went down to the Touring. Only thing I miss really is auto lights.
We ended up paying $32,534 for a Touring AWD with the Bose/Moonroof package and the Keyless Entry/Power Liftgate package.
That was a tad less than we could get the Subaru Outback 3.2 Limited for, and the CX-9 just felt like more car for the money. And more luxurious too. The zero percent financing sealed the deal.
Welcome fellow MN Member
.This is exactly why we didn't get the GT with Nav. We got the GT with Moon/Bose. That's about it. Also, you seem very knowledgable in the car world, so this is probably something you know, but 20" tires are not all that much more than 18" tires....unless you're going super wide. I've been pricing out winter rubber, and the difference is about $25 a tire ($100 total). So, not that bad in my opinion. For some reason, 19" rubber costs an arm and a leg....which I why I got rid of my 19" wheels on the G8.
That's interesting... but the 19" thing might be just a relative quantity factor. 18" and 20" wheels are more common, so therefore 19"s drive the price up - or at least that's my theory.
Yes I have some decent car knowledge, I'm 35 and have loved cars since I was a kid, plus I've been active on forums since 1997. I'm also a mod on a few sites still, and have done it many times earlier, when I had more time!
I'm still debating T vs. GT, but the GT does have the xenons and some other bits that might prove useful. So we'll see. How about braking? With a 2" larger wheel diameter, that's noticeable unsprung weight that would decrease braking effectiveness, but then again... it's a wider tire, which adds to grip. Might balance it out, plus sometimes OEM wheels aren't extremely heavy.
Yes I have some decent car knowledge, I'm 35 and have loved cars since I was a kid, plus I've been active on forums since 1997. I'm also a mod on a few sites still, and have done it many times earlier, when I had more time!
I'm still debating T vs. GT, but the GT does have the xenons and some other bits that might prove useful. So we'll see. How about braking? With a 2" larger wheel diameter, that's noticeable unsprung weight that would decrease braking effectiveness, but then again... it's a wider tire, which adds to grip. Might balance it out, plus sometimes OEM wheels aren't extremely heavy.
That's interesting... but the 19" thing might be just a relative quantity factor. 18" and 20" wheels are more common, so therefore 19"s drive the price up - or at least that's my theory.
Yes I have some decent car knowledge, I'm 35 and have loved cars since I was a kid, plus I've been active on forums since 1997. I'm also a mod on a few sites still, and have done it many times earlier, when I had more time!
I'm still debating T vs. GT, but the GT does have the xenons and some other bits that might prove useful. So we'll see. How about braking? With a 2" larger wheel diameter, that's noticeable unsprung weight that would decrease braking effectiveness, but then again... it's a wider tire, which adds to grip. Might balance it out, plus sometimes OEM wheels aren't extremely heavy.
I'm pretty sure you are right on the 19" wheel pricing, my theory as well.
Looks like we're about in the same category. I think, lol, I am 33 now. Been on Forums since the late 90's.
I would opt for the GT just for the HIDs. At least that is one of the main reasons we did.
As for the 20" wheels vs 18" wheels. OEM, I bet they aren't too much different in weight. I bet both are heavy. We've only had our CX9 for 2 weeks now, and about 700 miles, but I feel the braking is pretty good for a larger vehicle. Heck, I bet it stops faster than my car.
My wife found it to be pretty good as well, though I have to say that the rotors LOOK very dinky.
Yeah I got started on All-Things-Integra.net (which is long-since defunct), then Honda-Acura.net, which spun off S2000online.com which then became S2Ki.com. Earlier than that I was on VWVortex (still have my membership!!), then NASIOC and RS25.com, and a few others. Mod on a couple of them. We old dudes have to stick together!
I think, if the salesman wasn't lying, and $35K on a $38K GT (the one we test drove, at least...pre-6% PA sales tax) is a true invoice price, then we'd be getting a pretty good deal, not including the 0% financing. We'd probably put at least 30% down anyway, maybe more. Some of those options aren't necessary, like the nav. It's annoying that you have to get Bose audio with the sunroof - I'm not a fan of Bose. But, oh well. It's also annoying that you have to delete the ability to get a rear cargo cover with the Bose, which I assume is because there's rear speakers that now take up the space where the sliding cover would mount? Unless some of you clever forum rats have figured out a workaround. Coming from a Subaru wagon, I know my wife would miss that - even though the CX-9 has pretty dark tint in the rear.
Yeah I got started on All-Things-Integra.net (which is long-since defunct), then Honda-Acura.net, which spun off S2000online.com which then became S2Ki.com. Earlier than that I was on VWVortex (still have my membership!!), then NASIOC and RS25.com, and a few others. Mod on a couple of them. We old dudes have to stick together!
I think, if the salesman wasn't lying, and $35K on a $38K GT (the one we test drove, at least...pre-6% PA sales tax) is a true invoice price, then we'd be getting a pretty good deal, not including the 0% financing. We'd probably put at least 30% down anyway, maybe more. Some of those options aren't necessary, like the nav. It's annoying that you have to get Bose audio with the sunroof - I'm not a fan of Bose. But, oh well. It's also annoying that you have to delete the ability to get a rear cargo cover with the Bose, which I assume is because there's rear speakers that now take up the space where the sliding cover would mount? Unless some of you clever forum rats have figured out a workaround.
Coming from a Subaru wagon, I know my wife would miss that - even though the CX-9 has pretty dark tint in the rear.
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